Chingford to High Beech Circular Walk

On Saturday 6th September, with a start at the Holly Trail café on Bury Road in Chingford, 8 members started this circular walk along the edge of Chingford Plain via the London Loop to meet up with the Boundary Walk Somewhere near Cuckoo Brook some of us strangely did actually have a discussion about Cuckoo's, which started with sighting of a woodpecker-holed dead tree. Passing the oddly named Catacombs Corner junction with Lippets Hill we continued on the Boundary Walk Trail through the forest to cross over Avey Lane and make our way through to High Beech. We dropped into the Visitors Centre and had a break for lunch while awaiting the arrival of Brian who had not managed to make the start of the walk.

Now with 9 members, we joined a path from High Beech which took us through to cross the Epping New Road at Mount Pleasant, this path then joins up with the Green Ride. We were admiring a nice new wooden signpost that has appeared, however, we all questioned one of the signpost arrows pointing to 'BroadStrood' which we did not recognise - Brian looked this up to find it was the car park on Goldings Hill (learn something new every day!). Passing by Loughton Camp we continued along the Green Ride and down the big hill and on to stop by both Earls Path Pond which had lots of water lily plants and some still in flower and Strawberry Hill Pond which had lots of ducks, mainly Mallards and Moorhens.

Crossing back over the Epping New Road at Lincolns Lane we took the path immediate left that crosses a green path to join up with the Fairmead (disused) road and then taking the straight gravel path route that led through to Connaught Waters. Admiring some of the of the wooden Brambley Hedge sculptures on our way around, we left Connaught waters to walk back through to Chingford Plain. Brian & Kathy left us to visit the Vue and the rest of us returned across Chingford Plain to the Holly Trail café for end of walk refreshments. A six and a half mile walk according to the distance counter on my phone. We had a lovely walking day with good company and ideal walking weather.

Sue S., 7th September 2025